Collège Boréal and the Ontario SPCA signed a milestone 10-year agreement today (10/19) to renew a partnership that has given students an opportunity for hands-on animal wellness learning and provided a home base for the Ontario SPCA Sudbury & District Animal Centre.
The agreement marks the first time Collège Boréal has made a commitment for a period of 10 years. In support of future generations of animal wellness advocates, the Ontario SPCA also announced its intent to provide funding support to benefit a Francophone Indigenous student accepted into Collège Boréal's two-year accredited Veterinary Technician Program.
The signing and announcement took place this afternoon at Collège Boréal during the first Northern Animal Summit, a two-day event bringing together thought leaders and influencers to share collaborative solutions to the unique challenges facing Northern communities and to create healthy communities for people and pets.
As part of the official opening of the new veterinary wing of Collège Boréal's Sudbury campus in 2013, the Ontario SPCA and Collège Boréal forged an innovative partnership to facilitate the sharing of resources and knowledge between the two institutions. Most notably, the five-year agreement resulted in Collège Boréal becoming the first Canadian college to teach shelter medicine, the creation of a new Ontario SPCA Sudbury & District Animal Centre and the joint use of Collège Boréal's then new veterinary wing.
"Today, Collège Boréal and the Ontario SPCA are signing a 10-year lease agreement, the first of its kind!" says Daniel Giroux, President, Collège Boréal. "The last five years have proven that sharing complementary resources to offer excellent college-level training in veterinary care is a success. In addition, the generous offer of a bursary for a Francophone Indigenous student to study in our Veterinary Technician Program at our Sudbury campus just goes to show what an incredible partner and friend the Ontario SPCA is to Boréal."
"The benefits for the program and our students of this innovative partnership with the Ontario SPCA have surpassed expectations: sharing of certifications, courses and manuals, student bursaries, provincial conference participation, networking opportunities, access to a multitude of placements throughout Ontario, week-long internships at the Ontario SPCA's provincial office in Stouffville, employment across the province if not the country," says Kim Morris, Dean, Collège Boréal. "Merci, Ontario SPCA!"
"We have forged a strong relationship with Collège Boréal that will help shape the future of animal wellness," says Kate MacDonald, Chief Executive Officer, Ontario SPCA and Humane Society. "Animals in the local community, as well as remote Northern communities served through our Animal North Network, also benefit from this unique partnership. We look forward the next 10 years and beyond."
For more information on the Animal North Network, visit northerndog.com.
